


Empty Gold

by ctwriites



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Budding Love, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Post-Thor: The Dark World, Strangers to Lovers, Thor (Marvel) Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:40:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23437837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ctwriites/pseuds/ctwriites
Summary: he didn't ask to get treated for his battle scars, and he also didn't expect to meet a mortal as stubborn as her. why can't he keep her out of his mind... and why does she comfort his tired soul?
Relationships: Thor (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	1. scuffs and scrapes

Narrowly avoiding being snagged by the gurney that brushed past her, she gave a wince. She looked at the man strapped to the thin mattress still donned in his gold-and-red bot suit, giving a sniff as she recognized him from the news before looking for the intended room she had been assigned to.  
  
White sneakers moving, she found the small examination room within minutes and, after clearing her throat, knocked once on the thick wood before opening the door.  
  
“Mr. Son of Odin… Odinson? I’m Artie, and I’ve been asked to tend to your wounds.” She announced politely, having turned to wash her hands in the nearby sink before turning to face her patient.  
  
She perked up a bit at laying eye on the named demigod, finding he was strikingly handsome even covered with a thin layer of dirt and scuffs. Clearing her throat again as she mentally chided herself for staring at his obviously muscled self, she forced her hazel eyes to lock on his tanned face and blonde hair, his eyes that were a cross between baby blue and electricity.  
  
Locking on her hazel stare before acknowledging she was stockier than he had thought (petite, too) when hearing her enter the room, her wavy mop of black hair and fair skin, Thor blinked once before speaking into the awkward pause between them, “I tried to tell them that I was fine, but my… sister, she sort of forced me in here. Thank you for your hospitality, but it’s not necessary.”  
  
He surprised her for a split second when he stood from the tabletop to leave the room and cocked a brow when the woman stepped in his path to keep him from the door, keeping the brow raised at seeing the politeness gone to be replaced with a stoic-business sort of expression from her round face.  
  
“I’m sorry, Mr. Odinson, but I have my orders and I can’t let you waltz out while you’re injured.” Artie stated patiently, unmoving. Arms crossed at her chest, she added in the same tone albeit with tenacity, “never mind that I’m plenty capable of patching you up. Get back to the table, please.”  
  
They gauged each other for a moment, the blonde and the brunette, demigod and nurse.  
  
Giving a slight puff, the taller between them conceded at last and turned to pad back to his abandoned seat in silence. He perched on the tabletop, about to cross his arms at his chest if it didn’t agitate the knife wound in his right side, instead gripping the edges somewhat-lightly and looking over at his nurse with a half-expectant half-miffed furrow of his brow.  
  
The petite one smiled privately at his defeat, the thought of barring the door somehow gone when he receded, stepping away to rummage for the necessary equipment in the nearby cabinets. Finding the rubbing alcohol, bandage rolls and stitching needles, she shuffled over to put them on a short stool on wheels and paused at seeing he still sat in his armor and cape.  
  
Looking up at his curious blue eyes she cocked a brow and gestured to his armor, keeping the brow lifted out of expectancy when his curious look faltered.  
  
Thor regarded the stubbornness in her brown-green eyes and his lips threatened to twitch sideways into a pout, making her wait as he removed his cape and vambrances before his dark-silver colored jerkin. Exhaling shortly once the deed was done, he glanced at the stool when its wheels squeaked at her moving it before he looked at her as she looked away to dab alcohol on a cotton ball, the sharp smell making his nose wrinkle.  
  
Artie bit back a smirk at catching the beginning pout on his lips at being ordered around, looking to his broad chest and feeling heat creep up the back of her neck as she mused that he was definitely _not_ from earth if he was so well built. She mentally whacked herself back to her job that needed to be done, starting with the various nicks on his bare arms before tending to the knife wound in the right side of his ribs.  
  
It was quiet between the two of them, for a moment that felt like it lasted for years, as she worked.  
  
Thor glanced down at the woman as she had shifted her attention to the knife wound, knowing with his heightened system the wound was more of a dull pain now than when he had been stabbed. He swallowed a hiss that tried to escape from between his teeth as the alcohol agitated the cut before he calmed as the agitation went as swiftly as it came.  
  
He lowered his gaze again to regard his nurse with curiosity.  
  
She was Midgardian by all standards, but her stubbornness threw him off for a moment. Sure he had met his share of mortals in the last few days, most of them he didn’t take interest in aside from his new comrades, but this one.  
  
This one was interesting.  
  
“… might sting a little.” Artie was saying, yanking his conscious back to reality, her calm voice carrying a vague warning tone. She caused him to look from her head of dark hair to the stitching needles and thin thread she had taken from the stool.  
  
Cockiness taking hold of his rumbling voice, Thor assured her, “I’ve had worse, in all fairness…” The confidence faltered when she stuck the needle head into his side, causing the quelled hiss from earlier to make its successful escape.  
  
An amused smirk curved her lips as Artie looked up at him from under her brow and mused calmly, “if you say so, Mr. Manly Man.” She shrugged before leading the thread through the hole, resuming concentration as she set to stitching him up.  
  
The blonde’s brow slightly twitched at her amusement, his eyes shifting away before they lowered to regard her blasé expression. He noticed that she was in fact attractive, not in the way Midgardians found desirable though, but her unmarred complexion and the light makeup she had donned made her look presentable.  
  
He mentally whacked himself out of ogling her, trying to shift his thoughts to the astrophysicist Jane he had met a year ago.  
  
Ironically both women he respected as friends, Sif and Roslynn, found the other woman who had kissed him before his return to Asgard to not be worth spending time on.  
  
Roslynn had been more vocal about it for a few days after the whole Bifrost fiasco happened, but he half-blamed her disgruntlement on the loss of his brother. Sif was quieter about it, namely due to her respect for his decisions, but she was of like mind with the other shieldmaiden.  
  
Mortal lives were fleeting, his father had often said, and it was best he not get entangled with their personal lives.  
  
“… move your arm?” The brunette asked, steering his attention to her again, her hazel searching his blue as she raised a brow and repeated the question, “Thor, right? Can you move your arm? Just gotta cover up your wound, and I’ll be done here.” She smiled somewhat, and he could swear he saw some measure of remorse there as if she didn’t want to be done with him so soon.  
  
“Right, sorry,” Thor nodded and lifted his arm, watching as she shuffled to start wrapping the white bandage roll around his upper chest to protect his stitched ribs. He considered the hint of remorse in her face moments ago and asked, “is ‘ _Artie_ ’ short for something? I thought that was generally a name given to men.”  
  
It wasn’t like he was in love with her or anything that drastic, but she was interesting because she didn’t cow to a superior being and she was otherwise attractive in terms of personality… that was all.  
  
_Right?_  
  
“It’s Artemis.” Artie explained quietly, cheeks somewhat pink at being asked that even though she was asked it once in a while, shrugging when feeling his stare on her, “my Mom was really into Greek Mythology in college and she liked it. I prefer ‘ _Artie_ ’ though, it’s easier than my full name.” She added, snipping the unused end of the bandage roll only to withdraw the clip from her scrub-top pocket and fasten it to the used end to make it stick. “Okay, I think that’s about done.” She looked up at him before stepping away to return the tools and wash her hands again.  
  
Thor looked down at her work before pulling his jerkin back on, smirking wryly at her skill, musing as he secured the jerkin by its straps, “you’d probably put the healers on my planet to shame, Artie.” He straightened from the tabletop as she looked back when hearing her name to look up at him again, minding she truly was petite if her two-heads-shorter height was enough proof. “I mean, you were fast about it.” He added with a shrug.  
  
“O-oh, right,” Artie nodded, smiling shyly and returning the shrug as she replied, “thank you, Thor. I-um, I’ve sort of wanted to be a nurse for years, so I know a thing or two about fixing wounds… sorry for earlier, for being rude.” She was only half-sorry about it, though, as she found his reluctant cowing amusing and, daresay, cute.  
  
His looks which were otherwise drop-dead-gorgeous had left her intimidated for a moment, coupled with his height and physique, but his politeness and conceding to her instructions made him approachable.  
  
A chuckle escaped him at her apology and he waved it off, saying, “you needn’t apologize, you had a right to it.” His fingers idly flexed at his sides and he gestured to the door, “suppose I’ll go, if you’ve got other patients to tend to. I know that Stark and Captain Rogers needed medical attention, from the battle.” He offered.  
  
“I know, but I think the other nurses have them settled, and you’re free to go. Thanks for being amenable, too, you made my day easier, I think.” She shrugged again, shy smile weighing on her lips, as she stepped away from resting her back against the sink to open the door for him.  
  
Giving a slight bob of the head before he ambled over to his exit, Thor was about to leave her when he thought of something and paused to turn to her. He caught the curious and innocent expression on her pretty face and he felt his ears burn before he took her right hand and left a quick peck on the top of it.  
  
A flicker of electricity raced through her at his sudden gesture, and Artie felt the heat in her neck move to make her cheeks rosy, her eyes wide at first before softening. The stubble on his upper lip tickled the skin of her hand, and she allowed a chuckle at the feeling.  
  
Chivalry had been dead for years, she always thought, but it was apparently very much alive on whatever planet he was from.  
  
“I thought the door was supposed to be _closed_ when you put the moves on a poor girl.” A female voice commented dryly nearby, causing Thor to drop her hand as Artie jumped at being spooked. The owner of the new voice was a blonde shieldmaiden whose sharp brown eyes and cocked brow expression were fixed on the other blonde.  
  
“Rosie…” Thor groused at her intrusion, mentally cursing her knack for being light-footed, regarding the expectant gaze from the named woman. He exhaled and gestured from her to the petite brunette, “Roslynn the Valkyrie, this is Artie.” He introduced calmly.  
  
Artie regarded that the blonde before her was very pretty, leaving zero room for doubt regarding the blondes’ sibling relationship, smiling politely. “Jenkins, Artie Jenkins. Um, you fought bravely earlier, with the hostiles.” She offered if only to keep the awkwardness at bay.  
  
Roslynn sized her up for a moment, half-wondering how this petite mortal had gained favor from a prince of Asgard in the span of an hour or two, nodding her head a bit before returning the smile. “Thanks. If he was trying to be forward, I apologize, he’s normally not like that.” She jerked a thumb up at her friend.  
  
Cheeks turning rosy at being dubbed a pervert, Thor puffed and defended, “I wasn’t being _forward_ , Rosie… I was just thanking Artie for being such a skillful healer. She could put Hilda to shame if she so chose.” He flippantly gestured to the named nurse, puffing himself up a bit in pride.  
  
“I don’t doubt that, Thor, given the surgeons here are as good as any Midgardian doctor could be, but you being polite… _that’s_ still up in the air,” Roslynn rolled her eyes at his feathers being ruffled.  
  
This woman must’ve caught his _complete_ interest if he was being so boastful about her.  
  
Artie coughed to ward away a giggle, amused at Thor’s flustered state, having looked away from him before flicking her gaze up at him to find the pout from earlier had resurfaced to grace his lips.  
  
Thor shot a look at his fellow blonde who looked at ease with dismantling his charm single-handedly, exhaling shortly. “I almost regret making you come to Midgard…” He muttered.  
  
“You didn’t ‘ _make me_ ’ come, I came in case you got in over your head again… He does that a lot.” Roslynn corrected before nodding her chin between the other woman and the mentioned man.  
  
Artie’s amused smirk lingered when Thor shifted his weight from one foot to the other and looked away, giggling. “In that case it’s good you’re with him, to keep him focused.” She mused as she looked to the Valkyrie.  
  
Roslynn puffed softly at the flattery, nodding wisely, “I’ll be damned, you’re a sharp one. I see why he liked you… sure beats that one in the desert…” She started to say.  
  
“ _Rosie_ , come on, you should go check on Captain Rogers, shouldn’t you? I think his room was down this way…” Thor cut in, tone light even though he wanted to clock her for prying into his affairs, grabbing her shoulders and ushering her down the corridor. He stopped to look back at the curious Artie and smiled for her before leaving.  
  
Artie watched both blondes go, sobering when Thor left her sight, before she looked down at her kissed hand and smiled fondly at the tiny goosebumps that lingered from the gesture.


	2. Without You

“You’re seriously going to stick around?” She demanded with some hurt and plenty annoyance, scowling up at him.  
  
It was bad enough that they had meddled with Midgard again, namely that scientist girl who _had_ to get involved with the Aether on a whim, but to send her back first? _After_ they had committed treason to get the Aether-possessed girl to Svartalfheim? _And_ after losing Loki to those disgusting Elves?  
  
He had broken up with the girl so he was in pain, she understood that well enough, but by rights he needed to pony up and face Odin instead of sending _her_ to be the damned messenger bird.  
  
“Yes, I am… you’ll be fine going ahead of me, anyway, Rosie. One of us has to ensure that Father will have the Aether resealed. Gods know he can’t keep it in the vaults, with the Tesseract already down there… Father will come up with something, I’m sure.” He rubbed a hand over his face at her complaining, scowling slightly at his old friend.  
  
She held his darkened blue gaze for a solid moment before closing her brown eyes and groaning aloud, “I hope you’re right about this.” She slugged him, hard, before folding her arms at her chest.  
  
He smirked even though her scolding punch elicited a brief flinch, ruffling her flaxen locks and his smirk stretched into a smile when she shooed him off to stride away. “You’ll be fine, you’re a Valkyrie!” He teased in her wake.  
  
The shorter blonde shot him a rude hand gesture before stopping as she was taken back by the rainbow-hued Bifrost, leaving a rune circle burned into the asphalt where she had stood.  
  
The taller blonde glanced over at the bustling buildings in the distance from his place in the warehouse parking lot, exhaling before twirling the tether of his hammer upward as he took to the bleak skies to go across the pond.

Closing the cab door, she made a beeline for the front steps of her apartment building and paused when hearing her fellow passenger get out and tell the driver to hold for a moment. Her hazel eyes looking heavenward at the bleak-looking clouds that threatened rain.  
  
Nearly two years and things had shifted for the better… sort of.  
  
She had stayed with SHIELD only a few months past the Battle for New York when a more promising opportunity came up, quitting the agency to take the new position which was closer to home.  
  
Her new job working at St. Benjamin’s was more convenient, given it wasn’t very far from her complex, and another perk was that the hours left her the chance to take part-time courses at a community college to get her bachelors in art.  
  
She made a note to never date fellow students again, at least for as long as she lived.  
  
“I had a really great time, Artie,” her fellow passenger and or date, a pasty beanpole with enthusiasm named Chad, said when she turned to him, smiling at her.  
  
Artie smiled back albeit slightly, shifting the to-go box of her cheap lobster from her left to her right hand as the other hand fished for the keys in her coat pocket. “It was cool, yeah, thanks for dinner.” She replied, gesturing to the complex steps behind her, “this is me, I guess.”  
  
Truth be told she rarely went on dates, as the last one she remembered was back in high school and that was because the guy had done it on a dare, so her expectancy for a good date with a decent guy was abysmally low.  
  
“Sweet,” Chad smiled again, glancing from the building to her as his smile was somewhat expectant, leaning down for a goodnight kiss before a snarl sounded from the clouds above and rain began to pelt them instantaneously. He drew away with a wince and looked upward, lamenting, “damn, right when I hoped tonight would go smoothly…”  
  
“I’ve gotta go, I remembered I left the straightener on,” Artie excused then, turning away to leave before pausing as she handed him the box of leftovers. “Also, I’m kinda allergic to shellfish. Bye!” She broke away to jog up the stairs as the rains picked up to leave her date soaked on the sidewalk, diving into the foyer of her building before she could get soaked too.  
  
Looking back at the street to see Chad getting into the cab, she sighed in relief and pushed the button for the elevator, waiting but a moment before it ‘ _dinged_ ’ and the lift opened for her. She took heart at finding she had it all to herself as she stepped in and hit the button for 7th, running a hand through her hair when the doors closed.  
  
It wasn’t that she _hated_ the date, it was actually decent when Chad wasn’t prattling on about how he had come from California to New York to get away from his ritzy family, but he just didn’t fit the bill.  
  
At her humble age of twenty-four, she doubted any man could fit the bill…  
  
Ghostly goosebumps rippled up her right arm at that moment, causing her to glance down at the spot where her hand had been kissed over a year ago; she smiled fondly at the memory.  
  
Okay, ‘ _any man_ ’ didn’t exactly refer to that one… but _he_ was more god than man.  
  
Artie exhaled tiredly as the ten-hour shift at work plus dealing with Chad reminded her how exhausted she was, glad when the elevator ‘ _dinged_ ’ to announce that she had arrived at her floor, stepping out and heading to her door which was four doors to the left from the elevator with her keys on hand.  
  
“It’s not that shabby of a place.” A rumbling voice mused behind her, causing her to jump and turn about to sucker-punch the stranger before her extended fist was caught in a larger palm. The stranger minded her reflexive self-defensive gesture and looked down at her shocked stare with bemusement in his blue gaze.  
  
“T-Thor?” She breathed his name, recognizing his striking eyes with ease even though she had only met him a little over a year ago, slightly relaxing at seeing him even though she was confused and wary with his being in her building. “What… how… what’re you doing here?” She asked carefully.  
  
A slight smile hedged his lips as the blonde noticed her smaller hand fit in his grip, looking on her as he shrugged innocently, “I sort of got into a bit of trouble, today, and I could think of only one nurse who could patch me up.” He explained, watching confusion falter from her guarded stare, partially honest about his reason for being there.  
  
Hazel eyes roving over his chiseled face as she acknowledged the mending scrapes and cuts around his eyes and mouth, Artie puffed and gave him a mild look, “you’re lucky I keep a stocked first aid in my bathroom.” She mused, looking from him to his hand that had yet to release her fist, cocking a brow.  
  
Thor blinked once at the hesitation before he chuckled and released her albeit reluctantly, shrugging again when her mild look lingered before he watched her turn away to open her apartment door. He followed her inside and looked about her living arrangements.  
  
It was small, clearly meant for one resident, the living room being first for him to see as its walls were faded white.  
  
The room led to a stout walkway further along that deposited into what he assumed was her bedroom as it was dimly lit and harbored a made bed, with a side door in the living room that opened into the bathroom that she ducked into after removing her coat, purse, and sneakers.  
  
She hadn’t changed much from when he had met her over a year ago, granted her wavy mop had lengthened to her nape so it looked rather shaggy, and she had apparently donned a pink sweater over brown leggings… She looked beautiful, and he half-wondered if she had been out with another man before he spooked her.  
  
He knew they were more acquaintances than friends, or comrades, and he had _zero_ right to be on Midgard just to be in her world even though he had asked Heimdall to survey her within the last several months, but still… the thought of another man being in her home didn’t sit well with him.  
  
He had no right to feel jealous, but _damn it_ if he wanted her to be available. He wasn’t with Jane, that was true. After the Convergence was done until the next several-thousand years came orbiting around, she had seen he helped her remove the Aether namely because he owed it to her for Puente Antiguo.  
  
Jane had been the one to break it off, in all honesty, because she felt her place was on earth making discoveries and his was defending Asgard and the rest of the Nine.  
  
And she was right.  
  
She never knew about Artie and he was rather glad she didn’t know.  
  
“Don’t just stand there like a statue, grab a chair and sit down.” The petite woman urged from behind the ajar door of the bathroom, yanking him from his thoughts, as she was busy looking for cotton-balls.  
  
He smirked at her suggestion that sounded more like an order, abandoning his place in the doorway to close it and remove his boots before placing Mjolnir on the thin table near the door that had a small bowl for her keys, locating one of the small table’s chairs made of what looked like oak to plop down in it.  
  
“I didn’t mean to startle you, when I found you here.” He apologized when hearing a cabinet door close from the bathroom.  
  
Face turning somewhat pink at his apology, she fiddled with her fringe so her hair looked alright and tucked the kit box against her chest as she exited to close the door behind her leave.  
  
“You’re fine, I didn’t expect I’d get a visit from the god of weather control,” she assured dryly, finding him seated at her dinner table with his blue eyes on her.  
  
Heat crept up the back of her neck again at being caught in his stare, and she squared her shoulders to brush off the feeling to pad over to him and place the kit on the tabletop to pop it open and locate the rubbing alcohol.  
  
Thor acknowledged her stubbornness, admiring her resolve to tend to business instead of gawk like a giddy teenager, looking her over for a moment as she was dabbing the alcohol onto a fluffy cotton-ball, finding she was about the same as when they met granted he guessed her life continued revolving.  
  
“I wasn’t aware you knew of my powers that well,” he noted lightly.  
  
Squaring her shoulders again even though her ears warmed at feeling his eyes rove over her, Artie shrugged innocently, “it didn’t take a genius to guess what you’re capable of. What _does_ take some brain power, though, is figuring why you’re here on earth. Unless your problems at home have gotten so bad you decided to leave forever or something dramatic like that…” She stepped away from the table to start dabbing at the cuts on his brow.  
  
“Ow…” he grumbled when she zeroed in on a cut above his left eye, relaxing as she got to work, sobering at her wonderings and replying, “it’s a long story and you seem rather worn, yourself.” He looked up at her from under his brow.  
  
She puffed up a bit even though his observations were dead-on, drawing away to cock a brow at him. “Says the man who demands I slap kiddie Band-aids on his papercuts?” She challenged.  
  
Thor scowled at her assumption, “I didn’t ‘ _demand_ ’ you help me, I just…” he trailed off as reality hit him that he had in fact done so, quieting before glancing away from her searching gaze to say in a softened voice, “I wanted to see you again. I’ve had you on my mind, too much from what I’ve been told, of late.”  
  
Artie quieted as well at his confession, cheeks a darker shade of pink than her pastel sweater, smiling fondly as she returned to cleaning him up. “Life must be a bitch if you’ve been dwelling on _me_ for the last several months… is that it, too?” She wondered in a curious but quiet voice, lifting a brow.  
  
A bemused huff escaped him at her guess and he replied, “for the most part, yes.” He minded her curiosity and exhaled before telling her everything, about Loki and the Aether, and the loss of his mother and even about Jane.  
  
Wiping her hands on the grey dish towel when he was done talking, she stepped from around the kitchen island counter to take the second chair at her table.  
  
“Yikes.” She muttered as she finished processing his story, looking at his quieted self and shifting in her seat to give a reassuring squeeze of his hand that rested on his kneecap, smiling a little when his free hand took her smaller one and he kept it.  
  
“I’m sorry about your mother. She didn’t die in vain, though, from what you’re saying, she went honorably,” she offered quietly.  
  
The rains had calmed when he told his story, she minded, but they left a fog in their wake that made the cobalt skies of dusk look a bruise-hued purple.  
  
Thor was briefly surprised she hadn’t zeroed in on Jane’s part in all of it, looking down at her hand he had kept as his fingers traced the lines in her palm, musing, “she did, yeah… you’re rather strange, though, given I thought you would be angry about Jane.”  
  
Artie perked up at his assumption before she jabbed his shin with a foot as she took her hand back. “I’ve got no right to be angry about her, you dummy. You clearly thought things would go swimmingly when you whisked her away to Asgard to help her but she dumped you because the distance would kill it… never mind that you’ve had _me_ on your mind when you should’ve been faithful to her...” true she _did_ feel a twinge of jealousy about Jane, given the other woman had a better life than her, but Thor was seconds from asking her to be his girlfriend right after basically cheating on Jane, and she couldn’t fathom being the one he cheated with.  
  
“She wasn’t exactly my girlfriend to begin with!” Thor defended stubbornly, standing when she did in an urge to leave, watching her stop only to scowl up at him, and he exhaled to continue with an even tone in his low voice, “I was only repaying the debt from her saving me when I first came here. I didn’t ‘ _whisk her away_ ’ on a romantic holiday either, I knew the doctors here wouldn’t know about treating what was ailing her.”  
  
His earlier surprise about her lack of anger was gone now, he realized with bitterness, given she wasn’t happy.  
  
She quieted as she listened to his reasons, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she mused dubiously, “yet you come to a woman that you barely know instead of going home to not dwell on that.” She tilted her head somewhat and looked up at him.  
  
He nodded at that and his cheeks warmed somewhat at the reality of his chasing, knowing full-well that he was attracted to her because she was different than Jane or anyone else he had chased.  
  
“Only because I… it’s easier to breathe, when I’m around _you_. Being here with you makes everything that’s happened until now seem like it happened a thousand years ago… and I swear I don’t know why.” He admitted, looking at her but his eyes were seeing the trials he had gone through fade away the longer he stood there with her.  
  
Artie acquired a soft wry smile as she listened to him, arms crossed at her chest, looking up at him before she nodded. “Your hair looks better, like this, with the braids.” She mused quietly.  
  
Thor refocused on her, at the rosiness that lingered in her cheeks and the softening of her hazel eyes, smiling slowly at seeing she wasn’t riled with his assumptions.  
  
“I’m sorry, about sticking my foot in my mouth… I had no right to do that to you.” He apologized in the same quiet tone, glancing away before looking on her again when she patted his arm in comfort. The warmth from before stole into his ears at sensing the minute spark her touch left.  
  
She shook her head and chuckled quietly, “no, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I’ve been thinking about _you_ , too. Earlier today, ironically, after a lame-ass date with this guy from my art class… he talked too much.” She admitted, releasing his arm to retake her chair.  
  
“Then why’d you have dinner with him?” He chuckled as well at her criticism, plopping down in his chair and looking at her curiously, wiggling his eyebrows.  
  
Artie snorted softly at his expression and laughed, her ears tingling when a content chuckle came from somewhere in his throat, shrugging.  
  
“Because he caught me by surprise last week after class? Dunno, I thought I’d throw him a bone and get a free dinner out of it… and then he tried to kiss me goodnight too, like if he expected me to swoon.” She wrinkled her nose at the idea. “Not the greatest night, to be honest. The lobster wasn’t even hot, and he ordered everything…” She shook her head.  
  
Thor made a face that earned a smirk from her, also shaking his head, “sounds like he was altogether ‘ _too much_ ’. Seems I came at the right time, though.” He mused nonchalantly.  
  
“Maybe you _did_ , yeah, but you could’ve just come without asking me to kiss your boo-boos… it’s just me here, when I’m not at work or school, I wouldn’t be against you coming over.” Artie gave him a brief look before shrugging again.  
  
Eyes softened at her invitation, Thor nodded and agreed, “sounds fair. My only question is… where’re your ‘ _boo-boos’?_ ” He asked curiously.  
  
Artie laughed before softly shaking her head, “it’s just a figure of speech, it’s nothing intimate.” At his curious look that remained she added, “your scuffs and scrapes.”  
  
“Right… I figured _that_ , yes, just didn’t get the term…” Thor nodded along and gave a confident sniff.  
  
“Whatever you say, Thor,” Artie coughed to ward away a giggle, smiling innocently at his slight pout.


	3. Skinny Love

“Damn it!” Crumpling the paper up into a tight ball, she threw it over her shoulder only for the ball to land on her table by the door. Hearing the wad land on the wooden top, she looked over to the table only to groan under her breath and get up from the couch to pick it up.  
  
She only did so because it was one of the leaflets she had put together to help her study for the final... which was in two days.   
  
Uncrumpling the white paper, she regarded the half-messy half-neat penmanship and released the paper to hastily scrub fingers at the back of her head with a slow exhale escaping her lips. “Why me?” She muttered.  
  
The knock on her door sounded then, making her slightly jump before she recognized the owner of the rather-loud rapping, causing her to pad forward to undo the locks to open it for her visitor.  
  
“Sweet,” he greeted lightly before the brightness faltered a degree from his smile when catching the frustrated expression lingering on her round face. Thor raised a brow at her state, minding she hadn’t changed out of her blue-and-gray sweats, “do you want me to come back tomorrow…?” He asked.  
  
“No, you’re fine, Thor, I just… I’m studying for my art final I’m taking in two days, and I can’t focus on this damned study guide…” Artie cleared her throat as she both heard and felt the scratchiness of emotions travel up her throat, turning away to return the paper to its folder and indirectly wipe her eyes of ghost tears.  
  
She only got emotional when she was frustrated and feeling under pressure, both of which she was currently experiencing.  
  
Closing the door behind his entrance with a foot, Thor padded after her to catch the sleeve of her sweatshirt, watching her look up at him with some confusion before he gently tugged her into a hug.  
  
Artie felt heat color her cheeks red at his sudden embrace before giving a soft groan and hugging his middle, her head drooping against his chest.  
  
He had hugged her once or twice in the last few months he had frequented her apartment, once when she had had a crappy day at work and the other time because he was glad to see her. Spending more time around him made her see that he was almost like a puppy when he was excited or happy, and that made it easier to have him in her teeny-tiny apartment. In that time he told her about Asgard, about his parents and Loki, and he liked talking about the stars and realms that were orbiting around his home world when she asked about them.  
  
Having Thor around made her feel better about things… he was like the sun personified, and she loved that most about him.  
  
Thor smiled fondly at the comfort she took from his embrace, brushing wavy locks behind her ear with a gentle hand, the smile lingering when she took his hand in hers and sniffed as she drew away to entwine her smaller fingers with his longer ones.  
  
Artie had listened to him talk about his home world, curious for the war stories he told from days long gone and was there to listen when he had to relent about mistakes he had made or things he never told his brother. She was his unofficial confidant and her quiet and tiny apartment had become a solace to him.  
  
In the fifteen-hundred years he had been alive he had never known comfort as he knew with Artie.  
  
Roslynn had suggested he dress like a Midgardian when he told her he would be visiting Artie more often, as his armor and cape made him stand out like a sore thumb, hence why he wore casual garb that reflected his standard colors but let him blend in.  
  
“Sorry, about the water-works… old habits die hard I guess,” Artie apologized quietly, drawing him from his thoughts.  
  
Thor shrugged it off, “sweet, it’s okay to cry. Shows you’re soft like that,” he assured, ruffling her hair she had drawn into a small tail.  
  
She sniffed and pouted up at his softened gaze, causing a chuckle to come from him, releasing his hand to poke his chest with a finger. “Shut up, Weather-Man,” she chided, cheeks turning rosier than before when he took her poking hand to leave a kiss on the top of it. Lips remaining in a pout at his method to get her to blush, which always worked, the petite woman exhaled tiredly and retrieved her hand before shuffling away to put away her folders.  
  
He smiled proudly at flustering his nurse, padding closer to take the folders and put them on her table, offering, “I can help you study, if you’d like. This doesn’t look too complex.”  
  
“That’d be amazing, Thor,” she nodded, smiling up at him with softened eyes, closing the pencil bag in hand, “thanks. I’ve got one more day left, and I think I’ve done enough for today…” she trailed off when a growl came from her stomach, cheeks turning pink at hearing his stifled chuckle.   
  
“Pizza’s on me.” She sighed as she turned away to get the number and use the landline.

It was the day of her final and, even if he wasn’t the one taking the exam, he was anxious.  
  
Thor had had experience with taking exams as he had taken numerous ones in younger years when he was being groomed to be a future king of Asgard, and even then he wasn’t as anxious as he felt on this day.  
  
Artie had given him a copy of her apartment key to make himself at home not a month or so ago, namely in case he beat her to the complex or if he had to use the facilities at the last minute.  
  
Gray socks padding as he paced a little in front of her couch, fingers flexing at his sides, the blonde stalled to look over at the door at hearing the locks being unlocked from the other side, eyes sharp.   
  
He relaxed when she entered the apartment to close the door behind her entrance and find him there by her couch before he stepped up to her when catching the uncertain look on her face. “Artie, I’m sorry…” He began.  
  
“Tell that to people who flunk elective courses,” the brunette scoffed before whipping out a white slip of paper that had the passing grade of A- slapped to the top right corner, a wide grin crossing her round face and stretching her cheeks a bit as she sang, “I did it!”  
  
Thor laughed, her excitement infectious as he grinned back like a madman, watching her shrug off her bag before she threw herself at him in a hug. He latched onto her smaller self and hugged her hips tight as she clung to his neck, chuckling, “I knew you could, sweet…!”  
  
Artie giggled, her grin lingering as she drew away a little in his hold, looking on his blue eyes and the warmth there that made her chest ache happily. She leaned in to press her lips to his, curious, feeling him stiffen somewhat in surprise.   
  
She started to draw back when his fingers gently knotted in the black locks at the back of her head and he reciprocated deeply, causing her to tremble somewhat as a soft moan rose up her throat at his kiss.  
  
He had been surprised when she kissed him but he had considered doing the same to her within the last few months, and he was glad for her euphoria-driven gesture. Briefly he reflected about the handful of times he had thought he was in love with whoever he had been with at the time, before he banished those thoughts away. He recognized he hadn’t felt as at ease and happy in those instances as he currently did with this mortal woman.  
  
She closed her eyes when he drew away to groan, a soft broken noise that seemed to come from somewhere in his chest, her own fingers combing through his braided blonde locks with gentility as she felt his hands that gripped her thighs give a squeeze on the denim there.   
  
“Should’ve said you wanted to do that at a sooner time, big guy…” she teased softly before inhaling when his lips found hers automatically, giving a stifled giggle at the growl in his throat as his kiss was greedy like if she was the one he had fought tooth and nail for. Her cheeks were aflame as his hands at her thighs dug in and he moved to carry her to the couch, half-blaming his inhuman strength for his actions.  
  
Thor barely stifled a growl when her smaller hands pushed on his chest to break away from the kisses, blue eyes aroused and disgruntled at the same time, regaining his breath as she did the same. “Damn it, Artie…” He groaned.  
  
“I know, but I… I’ve never done that, yet… y’know.” Artie breathed, sheepish, reddened cheeks retaining the rosy color as she minded his strong arms had her straddling him, “I should’ve told you sooner.” She apologized quietly.  
  
“You should’ve, yeah,” the blonde grumped with a shallow exhale, minding the guilt darkening her brilliant eyes, closing his eyes before he leaned in to kiss her forehead. He smiled when she curled her fingers in his braided locks, drawing away to find the guilt gone to replaced with a familiar softness in her gaze that met his. “I feel like I’ve found comfort for the first time in centuries, and it’s with the kindest, most stubborn and gorgeous nurse I’ve ever met.” He lamented quietly.  
  
She smiled proudly and gave a giggle regarding the warmth in his eyes, asking for curiosity’s sake, “you’re not upset, about not doing it?” It was true she hadn’t done the deed, ever, and even with this blonde Viking god she was hesitant, but she hoped that wouldn’t change anything.  
  
He had chased her when he could’ve and should’ve just left her to herself, and after the last few months she was so used to him brightening her days… it would be painful if he removed himself from her world.  
  
Thor minded the hope in her eyes and he puffed, “no, sweet. I’m not about to demand anything you don’t want to do, Artie.” He had considered being physical with her once and only once, and although her pouncing on him caused that notion to teeter closer to a reality, he knew that he wouldn’t force her.  
  
She was his escape from the tiresome world he was required to be involved in, and he’d blame himself tenfold for ruining what they had.  
  
Artie nodded, relieved that he wasn’t in a hurry to get physical, kissing him again and smiling when he reciprocated gently, clinging to his neck.

**Author's Note:**

> (1) i don't own Thor or MCU, and (2) blame this entirely on late-night thoughts that keep me from sleep. (3) i regret nothing.


End file.
